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CAC Calculator - Calculate Customer Acquisition Cost

Calculate customer acquisition cost from fully loaded marketing, sales and other acquisition expenses, then compare actual CAC with an optional target.

Acquisition Costs, New Customers and Target CAC

Use acquisition costs and new paying customers from the same period and scope. CAC is broader than ad-only CPA and should use one consistent cost-inclusion policy.

Marketing spend, campaign costs and acquisition-related marketing expenses.
Sales compensation, commissions or allocated sales costs tied to acquisition.
Optional acquisition software, agency, creative or other included costs.
New paying customers acquired in the same period and scope.
Optional business-specific customer acquisition cost target.
Total Acquisition Cost-
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)-
Customers per $10,000 of Acquisition Cost-
Allowed Acquisition Budget at Target CAC-
Budget Gap vs Target CAC-
Customers Supported by Current Cost at Target CAC-
Customer Gap vs Target Efficiency-
Target Comparison-

Example: $300 Customer Acquisition Cost vs $275 Target

Marketing acquisition cost: $18,000

Sales acquisition cost: $12,000

Other acquisition cost: $3,000

Total acquisition cost: $33,000

New customers: 110

CAC: $300.00

Target CAC: $275.00

The sample inputs shown here match the default calculator values so the example can be reproduced directly.

Formula

Total Acquisition Cost = Marketing Cost + Sales Cost + Other Acquisition CostCAC = Total Acquisition Cost / New CustomersTarget Budget = New Customers x Target CACCustomers at Target CAC = Total Acquisition Cost / Target CAC

Input Checklist

Same scope: Keep acquisition costs and new-customer definitions from one comparable reporting period.Stable definitions: Use the same stage, cost or conversion definitions when comparing results over time.Decision context: Read the result with downstream quality, value and business economics rather than as an isolated benchmark.

Add This CAC Calculator to Your Website

Embed this free calculator on a marketing, analytics or planning resource page. The ?embed=1 view keeps the calculator focused and supports responsive iframe resizing.

Embedding requirement: Keep the SolveIndex attribution and source link visible and unchanged.
How to Interpret the Result
Use CAC with a consistent cost-inclusion policy. If one period includes sales compensation and another excludes it, the comparison is not like-for-like. A target CAC should be evaluated against customer gross profit, retention, payback and cash constraints. Lower CAC is useful only when customer quality and sustainable growth are preserved.
Marketing - Performance & Planning
Understand CAC before setting an acquisition target
Read the detailed guide for the customer acquisition cost formula, fully loaded CAC, blended CAC, CAC vs CPA, benchmarks, target setting and reduction strategies.
Read the Customer Acquisition Cost GuideBrowse all guides
CAC Calculator Frequently Asked Questions
Add the sales, marketing and other acquisition costs included in your policy, then divide that total by the number of new paying customers acquired in the same period and scope.
Include the acquisition costs relevant to the decision, such as advertising, marketing staff, sales compensation, agencies, creative, software or other directly allocated acquisition expenses. Keep the policy consistent over time.
No. CPA often measures advertising cost per selected conversion action, which may be a lead or another event. CAC normally uses new paying customers as the denominator and can include broader sales and marketing costs.
It means the included acquisition costs averaged $300 for each new customer acquired in the measured scope. Whether that is sustainable depends on customer gross profit, retention, payback and cash requirements.
Use it as a business-specific scenario, not a universal benchmark. The calculator shows the acquisition budget allowed for the current customer volume and how many customers the current cost would support at that target.
Use the metric that matches the exact acquisition, funnel or unit-economics decision you are evaluating.
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CAC Calculator - Customer Acquisition Cost Disclaimer: Results depend on which costs and customers you include. Use one consistent period, acquisition scope and cost-allocation policy, and consider finance guidance for material decisions.